Funko POP! Metaluna Mutant

Funko’s domination of the collectable vinyl toy market continues with the addition of this handsome lad, the big-brained, bug-eyed Metaluna Mutant from the science-fiction classic This Island Earth.

Numbered 118 in Funko’s POP! Movies collection the Metaluna Mutant is one of eight toys from their Universal Studios Monsters range. Others in the collection include Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Phantom of The Opera, The Creature from The Black Lagoon and The Mummy.

This Island Earth was released by Universal in 1955 and starred Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason and Faith Domergue in a story about an alien race who travel to earth to recruit scientists to help save their dying world Metaluna. It’s all a ruse though to cover the Metalunan’s real plan, conquest of the Earth. The Mutant itself only makes an appearance towards the end of the film but it made a huge impression – I remember the first time I saw the film when I was a kid and it scared the hell out of me.

This Island Earth was a moderate success when it was released and it has gone on to achieve cult status over the decades. In the mid-nineties it enjoyed a brief resurgence when it featured as the film-within-a-film in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie.

As with all the Funko POP! toys the Metaluna Mutant is modelled in the chibi, or super deformed, style with an exaggerated head and small body. The paint work on the toy is excellent, especially the blood-red veins around the eyes. The modelling is excellent too, from the detailing on his chest to the lungs on his back. This is one ugly little toy (hence the 14+ age warning).

The Metaluna Mutant retails for about £/$10 and is a welcome, albeit gruesome, edition to Funko’s ever-expanding POP! range of vinyl toys.